Hmmm, Maybe He Stonewalled Her

When Anna Deavere Smith’s “House Arrest: First Edition,” her long-awaited new play about the U.S. presidency, opens at Arena Stage in Washington on Wednesday, it will be interesting to learn if President Clinton made the cut. He was among the more than 300 people Smith interviewed for the project, but when a reporter from the Washington Post asked if Clinton’s words would be incorporated, she replied: “I don’t know yet. . . . The first thing I have to have from people--for it to end up onstage and to be art--is a strong will to communicate.” (Geez, could Saddam Hussein be less diplomatic? She can always claim she was misquoted.) Anyway, unlike Smith’s recent work, this one is a play with a cast of 14 instead of a solo performance, and the writer isn’t in it. And “First Edition” refers to the fact that the production is a work in progress. To that end, the only critics invited are those from the area (a not-uncommon practice among regional theaters). Arena Stage issued this explanatory statement: The show “is evolving and will continue to evolve. It’s likely to change as it moves to L.A. and other cities, as current events warrant and as [Smith] continues her interviews and research.” Next stop for “House Arrest” is the Mark Taper Forum (which is a co-producer), April 16 to May 31.

From the ‘What-Good-Is-Owning- a-Network-If-You-Can’t-Exploit-It?’ File

Why interrupt programming to air commercials when the programming serves as a commercial all by itself? That remains the philosophy at the synergy-minded Walt Disney Co. The studio has scheduled a special tied to the release of the Robin Williams movie “Flubber” to air Friday on ABC, which the studio owns. The Disney Channel will also take part by running the original “The Absent Minded Professor,” on which “Flubber” is based. Such use of networks to promote films released by their parent studio has become a common practice, with Fox having featured a character from the studio’s new animated film “Anastasia” as host of its children’s TV lineup Saturday morning. ABC also ran a prime-time special tied to the release of Disney’s “Hercules” last summer. What may be most surprising about the “Flubber” special is its scheduling during the November sweeps, when pressure to boost ratings is at its highest. Then again, ABC does have a vacant half-hour to fill Fridays now that the network canceled “You Wish,” one of the three sitcoms airing that night produced by--you guessed it--Disney.

And Three Little Children Shall Lead Them

Hanson’s “MMMBop” is one of the catchiest singles of the year in pop music, a Jackson 5 sound-alike that rocketed to the top of the charts last summer and has powered the group’s debut album, “Middle of Nowhere,” to sales of more than 2 million copies. The sunny sounds and teen-idol qualities of the brothers Hanson--Isaac, who turns 17 today; Taylor, 14; and Zac, 12--were a welcome change for many in the industry who believed that fans had grown tired of the dark and sometimes ugly side of grunge and rap. The question now is: Can the Tulsa, Okla., trio build on the momentum of its success with the release Tuesday of a holiday album, “Snowed In,” and a home video, “Tulsa, Tokyo & the Middle of Nowhere,” a feature-length documentary that chronicles the boys’ rise during their unforgettable year? The brothers will promote the new releases with their own ABC special, “Hanson,” which airs on Nov. 28, and during appearances on “The 1997 Billboard Music Awards” show Dec. 8 on Fox, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Dec. 13 and a handful of promotional concerts for radio stations around the country. “These three kids are incredible,” says Scott Levin, director of marketing/audio for the Musicland Group. “It’s like the New Kids on the Block phenomenon . . . and I really think that this new Christmas album will re-vault them right back to the top.”

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers and Contributors